Air feed and vent device for closed top gas stoves



May 19, 1931. G. HAMMER ET AL AIR FEED AND VENT DEVICE FOR CLOSED I OF GAS STOVES Filed Dec. 22, 1926 Patented May 19, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE A,

GEORGE HAMMER, FREDERICK A. GERGICH, AND WILLIAM S. SMITH, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNORS TO HAMMER-EBAY COMPANY, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA,

A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA AIR FEED AND VENT DEVICE FOR CLOSED TO]? GAS STOVES Application filed December 22, 1926. Serial No. 156304.

Our invention relates to a device for so supplying air to and venting the top burner chamber of a closed top gas stove that a suflicient fresh air supply is assured for all the burners in the chamber.

An object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described whereby the products of combustion from the front burners may be concentrated centrallyof the stove top and thence delivered to the stove flue.

Another object of the invention is to provide an independent and directed supply of air for the front burners.

A further object of the invention is to pro,- vide a device of the character described which may be rendered inoperative when and as desired without necessitating its removal.

And a still further object of'the invention is to provide a device of the character .described which may be applied to stoves of standard structure without involving structural changes in such stoves.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which,'with the foregoing, will be set forth'in the following description of the preferred form ofour invention which is illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to be understood, however, that we do not limit ourselves to'the showing made by the said drawings and description, as we may adopt variations of the preferred form within the scope of our invention as set forth in the claims.

Referring to said drawings, o Flg'ure 1 1s a topview of a stove equipped with the device of our mvention, portlons of the structure being broken away.

which is defined a burner chamber 7. Suit:

8 and 9 respectively, two burners being here shown provided in each row, with the burners symmetrically arranged with respect to axes extending both at right angles to and parallel with the front line of the stove. 'The chamber 7, it will now be noted, is'defined between imperforate side walls 12, a front wall 13 providing an air inlet 14, a rear wall 15 having aninlet opening 17 and vent openings 16 therethrough, a bottom wall 18, and the cooking top 6. Preferably, and as here shown the inlet openings 14 and 17 extend upwardly from the bottom 18 substantially to the plane of the burners, while the vent opening 16 is disposed centrally of the wall 15 and extends downwardly from the cooking top to said burner plane. The cooking top 6, it will be noted, is shown provided with openings 21 in which lids 22 are arranged to be removably supported over the various burners inoa usual manner. A kindler device 23 is provided, which device isarranged to be operated to simultaneously project tongues of flame over the various burners and is here shown positioned at the intersection of the before mentioned axes of symmetry of the burners. It will now be noted that with the arrangement ,of the burner chamber now described, the products of combustion andthe deoxy genized air would pass rearwardly fromthe front burners 8 toward the vent opening'16 to circulate over the rear burners 9 and so prevent a complete combustion ofthe fuel thereat. Means are accordingly provided for diverting such circulation from about the rear burners to permit the passage of a fresh air supply thereto, and as here shown, such means comprises amember 24 mountedbeneath the cooking top. Included in the member 24 are vertical walls 25 which are arranged to extend downwardly from the under A side of the cooking top to a level approximating that of the top of the burners, which walls are continuous and are preferably symmetrically disposed with respect to axis of "symmetryof the burners. As here shown,

defined by the member and from the latter points front wall portions.

28 extend forwardly again to terminate forwardly of the front line of the front row of lid openings. As here shown, the turns in the walls 25 thus provided are rounded and the walls are provided with perforations in line with the discharge'of' flame toward the rear burners whereby the kindler 23 may be used to, light such burners-preferably, and

as here shown tubular extensions 31 are provided on the walls in registration with the kindler perforations, which extensions terminate against the perforations of the kindler casing 32 whereby the functioning of the perforations as vents is prevented. In this manner, it will now be clear, the vitiated air ris ing from the front burners will be guided to move centrally and rearwardly between the rear burners in thermal contact with the central top portion, whereby a flow of fresh air from the inlet opening 14 to the latter burners may be permitted.

To insure and still further enhance the functioning of the walls 25 in guiding from the front burners to and hrough the vent 16 in the manner described, a bottom 33 is preferably provided on the member 24, such bottom connecting the walls 25 for their entire lengths and being perforated to permit the protrusion of the kindler 23 therethrough from below. It will now be noted that the conduit structure 34 now defined between the rear wall portions 26 and the bottom portion 35 whichconnects them is arranged to extend well into the flue box 36 with which the vent 16 communicates and is so formed a proper. venting of vitiated air from both the front burners. Suitable perforations 38 are provided in the bottom 33 directly above the front burners to permit the entrance of vitiated air therefromto the venting cavity 24, and an upwardly extending flange 39 is here shown provided at the front edge 41 of the bottom whereby the flow of fresh air over the burners will be minimized.

It will be noted that the member 24 as now described is particularly arranged to permit a simultaneous and eiiicicnt use of frontand inoperative if and when desired.

back burners. But it will be further noted that one of the advantages of gas stoves of the type described is the conservation of the heat from the front burners through the passage of the heated vapors therefrom beneath the cooking top. Supposing, then, that it is desired to use the stove with only front burners lit, the heated vapors from such burners would tend to heat the rear part of the cooking top chiefly. along the line of the passage 24 and so leave certain rear topportions unheated, which condition is not always desirable, and means are accordingly provided for rendering the venting means Accordingly, and as here shown, we preferably provide openings 42 in each of the intermediate wall portions 27 and further provide closure dampers 43 for such openings, which clampers are here shown fixed on a cross-rod 44 pivotally mounted on the member 24 and arranged to simultaneously position the dampers in like relation to the openings 42 by means of the appropriate actuation of a rod 46extending forwardly from the stove and connected to a crank arm 47 fixed on the rod 44. In this manner, the hereinbefore described venting control means may, if desired, be readily rendered inoperative, and, when inoperative, will not interfere with the heating of the cooking top by front burners alone, since opening. of the dampers 43 is arranged to permit an even distribution of: the heated vapors from the front burners under the rear cooking top portions.

A partition 51 is preferably provided in the member 24, such partition extending forwardly from the kindler to the front edge 41 of the bottom and upwardly to the plane of the top of themember. In this manner, the vitiated air from the front burneris prevented from passing over theother burner and an'independent fresh air supply is insured for each of the burners through the Openings 38. It will be clear that the present device permits the supplying of airto the rear burners 9 through the openings 14 and 17, and that the vitiated air from such burners escapes through the vent l6 into the flue .box 36 and thence passes around the rearwardly protruding portion of member 24 into the fiue37, so that the front and rear sets of burners are thus independently, vented into the flue.

It will now be particularly noted that the lee member 24 provides a unitary device-as here shown such device is arranged to be removably attached to the cooking top of the stove by means of attaching lugs 52 provided there on and screws 53 for securing such lugs to the itop, it. being noted, however, that the device may, if desired, be provided as anintegral part of the cooking top. As illustrated,the cooking top Bis formed with rim ;and lid carrying sections 54 and 56 respectively, the former of which comprises a fixed part of the stove structure and removably supports the latter. The top section 56 is arranged to provide the various lidopenings 21 and to have secured to and beneath it the member 24, whereby the installation of the latter on a stove is facilitated.

We claim:

1. In a stove, a top gas burner chamber having a closed cooking top thereover, front and rear sets of burners in said chamber, partitions associated with said cooking top and arranged to prevent a flow of burnt gases from said front burners through the chamber spaces at said rearburners, a flue exteriorly of said chamber, and a rearward channel shaped extension of one of said partitions projecting horizontally through the chamber and into said flue, said extension with its upper side closed by said top except at the free end thereof and defining a passage for products of combustion from the front burners only.

2. In a stove of the character described, a gas-burner chamber provided with a closed cooking top, front and rear sets of burners disposed within said chamber and means carried by said cooking top for confining the passage of the hot gas from the front set of burners entirely beneath a restricted area of the rear portion of said top, which area is located entirely between said rear burners, said means including partitions and a channel shaped member extending therefrom with its upper side closed by said top and its discharge end disposed outside said chamber, and a flue outside the chamber into which said discharge end extends.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto set our hands at Oakland, California, this 18th day of December, 1926.

GEORGE HAMMER. FREDERICK A'. GERCIGI-I. WILLIAM S. SMITH. 

